The invention relates to a music learning aid. In this specification, the term "learning aid" means not only learning but also teaching whereby the aid my be used as an aid for teaching or for learning. In addition, the term "music" when used in this context means music theory or practice with reference to playing musical instruments.
Learning how to play a musical instrument involves a number of stages, one of the most difficult of which is memorizing how each note is produced on the instrument. The note, scale and chord conversions for the instrument must also be learned. The relationship between keys, buttons or strings of a particular instrument and their associated note name and staff position involves in-depth referral to a theoretical base in order to calculate scales and chords. Similar difficulties are also encountered by people learning music theory.
A music teaching aid is described in German patent specification No. DE 4002361 (Kuffer, P.). This comprises a display panel straddled by a slider, upon operation of which Major and Minor keynotes in alphabetic music notation are displayed for a selected fundamental. Accordingly, it appears that this aid would be of some benefit to skilled musicians in that it "calculates" Major and Minor scales for a particular keynote in alphabetic notation.
However, this teaching aid is apparently of little or no benefit to beginners or to moderate musicians in learning how to play instruments or learning music theory. There is still a requirement to refer to music books to obtain the necessary music theory information and information as to how to play the relevant musical instrument. In many cases this puts people off learning music.